The Problem With Guns
The Problem With Guns
--In Nepal, we don't even know Prachanda's troop strength and yet Ian Martin feels he can adequately measure and lock up Maoist arms.
--We have no estimate and count of the number of weapons Maoists posess so Ian can claim his shallow success even if Prachanda brings him plow-blades; and the Maoists can maintain their strike capability and power without anyone holding them to any form of real accountability.
--The Maoist can use anyone to turn in anything and it makes them look like compliant heroes.
--The comprehensively futile exercise of locking them up shows just how bereft the UN is of tangible, credible ideas for solving Nepal's crisis.
--The very act of trying to lock up Maoist arms give an impression to the world that the Maoists are a credible, unified force--they are not.
--The very fact that a UN troglodite like Ian Martin is sent to Nepal specifically to deal with the arms threat posed by Maoists, elevates the prestige and stature of Prachanda's rebellious rabble to that of cohesive entity capable of effecting events on a national level--they cannot
The Problem With Guns
--Is that, even though they may be locked up, THEY ARE STILL AROUND. This fact alone is enough to intimidate villagers in the coming(?) Constituent Assembly elections.
--Lies in the fact that locking them up means nothing when those who use guns to brutalize and intimidate possess the keys to the locks.
--They are attention-grabbers. So much so that ineffective organizations like the UN feel they can score major credibility on the world stage by pretending to effectively deal with weapons issues.
--In Nepal, we don't even know Prachanda's troop strength and yet Ian Martin feels he can adequately measure and lock up Maoist arms.
--We have no estimate and count of the number of weapons Maoists posess so Ian can claim his shallow success even if Prachanda brings him plow-blades; and the Maoists can maintain their strike capability and power without anyone holding them to any form of real accountability.
--The Maoist can use anyone to turn in anything and it makes them look like compliant heroes.
--The comprehensively futile exercise of locking them up shows just how bereft the UN is of tangible, credible ideas for solving Nepal's crisis.
--The very act of trying to lock up Maoist arms give an impression to the world that the Maoists are a credible, unified force--they are not.
--The very fact that a UN troglodite like Ian Martin is sent to Nepal specifically to deal with the arms threat posed by Maoists, elevates the prestige and stature of Prachanda's rebellious rabble to that of cohesive entity capable of effecting events on a national level--they cannot
The Problem With Guns
--Is that, even though they may be locked up, THEY ARE STILL AROUND. This fact alone is enough to intimidate villagers in the coming(?) Constituent Assembly elections.
--Lies in the fact that locking them up means nothing when those who use guns to brutalize and intimidate possess the keys to the locks.
--They are attention-grabbers. So much so that ineffective organizations like the UN feel they can score major credibility on the world stage by pretending to effectively deal with weapons issues.
The Problem With Guns is that Prachanda controls the process. He threatens to thward CA elections unless he's in the interim government; Girija says no way until arms registration is finished; and the very next day, Ian says: "ok, we're finished".
No matter what Ian or anyone tells us, we should remember this: Maoists are not Maoists without guns. The two are inseparable.
-=blogdai
posted by blogdai @ 2/19/2007 05:41:00 PM
25 comments
25 Comments:
"They are attention-grabbers. So much so that ineffective organizations like the UN feel they can score major credibility on the world stage by pretending to effectively deal with weapons issues."
COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF.
Bhudai Pundit
Well, i think all the international players like, india, us, uk and un might be coming back to their senses. However, it may still be too little too late. I think Ian Martin should be kicked out by this government as soon as possible. But then, like you said, the whole UN is an incompetent bunch just like our government.
Even without the guns they could still win any election
And what evidence of this could you possibly have? heresay? That eternal and unfounded "hope" that we speak of?
The only way you could possibly hear and believe that maoists are popular enough to win an election is from the Maoists themselves. Who, consequently, will do everything they can to influence an election with intimidation with, you guessed it, GUNS.
Perhaps you heard it from a villager? Do you think villagers are confident of this because of their wide-sweeping knowledge of Nepali politics or their absolute faith in Maoists Ideology? One will never know since the villager himself never knows where a Maoist might be lurking with, you guessed it again, a GUN.
And oops! A villager was recently abducted and his house burned by Maoists. Do you think that would influence any pre-election straw polls?
Your opinion obiously comes from a quick-scan of new headlines and a simpleton's faith in anything that bills itself as a "people's movement". If you believe everything you read and hear about Maoists popularity without taking the time to understand not only Prachanda's propaganda machine, but the real sense of intimidation and fear that villager's feel, then you are too far behind our discussion curve to warrant any serious response in the future.
-=blogdai
"Perhaps you heard it from a villager?"
and how did the omniscient blogdai know what the villager feels/want's/thinks? did he get his butt out of his palace to meet a villager? or did his domestic help tell him? fool!
anon don't be an idiot. without coersion the villagers will never vote for the maoists. maybe there is a small section of rural nepalese who might have been influenced by the maoists but let me tell you that there is alot of resentment towards the maoists. imagine the amount of suffering moaists bought on these people. in reality these 'villagers' have suffered the most from the insurgency. the KTM elite didn't feel it. trust me with the amount of people they have displaced and abused there is no damn way the maoists will win any elections. especially after the latest terai debacle there is not a chance in hell the moaists are going to win anything.
unless you are a moaists and have been brain washed by prachanda you are kidding yourself if you think otherwise.
bhudai pundit
Maoist are dastardly smart. They used the guns to give place in sun for partner in crime, SPA when both were at the lowest ebb and India saw a chance it could not pass. Now the second round is- they are using henchmen and ruffians student wings of all politial parties to hit home their point across, if few revolt or speak their mind, consequencies can be lethal as some NSU found out. The thing is with guns they created fear and by creating fear they are sledge hammering general people to agree on "my way or highway." Just ask any one in Kathmandu after dark- you will know what I talking about.
Punditji- as for your question "what can we do or what should we do?" All I say is hire, be or use to counter this threat called SPAM by any means possible,period.
Very well written article: Long but a must read!!
Democratic Hypocrisy in Nepal
By Sachet Samaj
The SPAMers, their student wings and even the human rights activists have thrown tantrums over King Gyanendra's democracy day statement. Labelling the King's statement as ill-intentioned, unconstitutional and inappropriate, the SPAMers and affiliates have organized protest rallies to denounce his statement. The civil society leaders have gone a step ahead by demanding a censure on all the King's actions, statements and even called for an imposition of a travel ban. This hypocritical outcry over the King's statement exhibits the illiberal and despotic demeanour of the self proclaimed democrats and civil society leaders. While SPAMers continue to put on a fictitious display of liberality by propounding democratic fustian, underneath the veneer of emancipatory disposition lies their true self drenched in hypocritical bigotry.
Since the collapse of the royal regime, Nepal has been declared a democratic state. In accordance with the declaration, every Nepali citizen regardless of age, race, religion, sex or status has been bestowed with a right to voice his/her opinion under the rule of law. That is the essence of liberal democracy. It is the notion of equality, liberty and freedom of all human beings that differentiates democracy from all other forms of governance. In congruence, any citizen has an inherent right to exercise those fundamental rights under the rule of law. Unless the King is considered non-living or a foreigner (which he is not), he too is bestowed with the same individual rights as any other Nepali. Maybe not as a head of state, since the constitution has mothballed monarchy for the time being, but as an individual, he possesses every right to voice his tale.
The SPAMers have pointed to the unconstitutionality of the King's speech but they remain at fault. Regardless of which constitution they are referring to, there is no such clause or mention in any constitution that proscribes the King from making statements. Even if the King is regarded as an ordinary citizen, there is no such mention in any post 1990 constitution that forbids any Nepali from expressing an opinion under the rule of law. Also, unless Nepal is taken as a dictatorial nation, it would be quite improbable to have a law that would prevent any accused from an exonerating attempt.
The right to defend oneself from potential harm is irrefutably a universal human right and the King has every right to defend himself from the incriminating charges brought against him. As the SPAMers have charged the King with numerous accounts of human rights violations, like any other individual, the King has a right to explain himself. Even the dictum of "human rights declaration" grants every individual an inviolable right to defend oneself against any penal offence. Again, unless Nepal is an absolute dictatorship like North Korea, the law still allows for an individual to express oneself and defend oneself as long as it does not contradict or violate it. And from the King's statement, there is nothing to indicate that he has broken any law of Nepal.
Two obvious conclusions can be drawn from this ruckus. Either Nepal is not a democratic nation as proclaimed, or the SPAMers and their affiliates have exhibited a blatantly hypocritical stance. While the SPAMers wailed clamouring for free speech during the royal regime, they themselves are clearly unwilling to allow the same. They seem to be hell bent on preferential treatment. From what has become apparent, anything unpalatable to the SPAMers will be abominated as undemocratic, un-constitutional and illegitimate. Such partisan attitude exhibited by the SPAMers only negates any semblance of democratic accreditation.
Even after having eviscerated the King, the SPAMers still pound on him a little more at every opportunity they get. While the atrocities of the Maoists have clearly been justified and even rewarded with eighty three seats in the interim parliament, the Monarchy has been compelled to absorb all the flak. Given such onslaught, the Monarchy has been left with no accommodating alternative. With such narrow options for sustenance, it should come as no surprise if it opted for militancy.
The Maoist insurgency should have taught our leadership unforgettable lessons; it only takes a handful of resolute individuals to destabilize the nation and exclusion is not the answer to enduring peace. And even the recent Madhes uprising stands testament to that fact.
For those who remain oblivious to this assertion, it might be a little too late when another spark engulfs the nation. Hence, if Nepal seeks to avoid any more calamities, the only available alternative for sustainable peace lies in the trinity of People, Parties and Palace. Unless all the elements comprehend and acknowledge a symbiotic relationship, the future of a peaceful Nepal will remain a pipedream.
Anonymous (10:27),
Thanks for the article. It made for a good read.
Can you please provide the source of the article?
Make Nepal a Hindu nation: Hindu activists
Participants of an interaction in New York have urged all Hindus across the globe to work to defend Nepal as a Hindu nation.
Speaking at the interaction organized by Sanatan Darma, Sanskrit and Nepali Center at Shree Satya Naraian Temple, New York City Hindus from various parts of the United States, Canada, India, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Bhutan, Shri Lanka, Trinidad, Guyana and Nepal expressed solidarity for Nepali Hindus to make Nepal a Hindu nation.
The parliament reinstated following the success of the April movement has declared Nepal as a secular country. Hindu activists are protesting against the parliament’s decision and demanding to make Nepal a Hindu country.
A press release issued by the organiser said, scholars from the Indian American community Arish Sahani and Shree Gaurang G. Vaishnav, General Secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council of America) Raju Bhatija and Vijay Sigdel, a political activist from Nepal presented their views in favour of making Nepal a Hindu state.
Speaking at the programme, Vaishnav said that all Hindus must be united and rise up to defeat the foreign and internal enemies who wish to divide the Hindus.
Bishal Bikram Shah, a Nepali scholar currently living in New York city condemned the violence and pelting of stones during the visit of His Majesty King Gyanendra to offer prayers to Lord Pashupatinath on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivaratri.
He demanded that the miscreants, hooligans and criminal elements be arrested and punished.
Various Nepali artists also presented cultural programme on the occasion. nepalnews.com pb Feb 21 07
After gobbling up hundreds or billions of rupees (the expenditure details of which are not known) the Maoists are leaving for the country wide terrorism now:
3000 PLA men leave cantonment
Nearly 3,000 Maoist combatants of the Third Division camp of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Shaktihkor, Chitwan have left the cantonment site saying the government neglected their camp management.
According to radio reports, some Maoist combatants have started working at brick kilns and road construction works while some are in search of jobs.
They claim they were compelled to leave the cantonment as they did not have basic resources to live in the camps.
Nepal FM, a private FM station quoted Prabakhar, a deputy commander of the Maoist army, as saying that they are holding final talks with the government about the camp management today.
He further said that more PLA men will leave the cantonment in search of jobs.
He even warned that Maoists from all cantonment sites will be compelled to leave if the government did not make necessary arrangements for them. nepalnews.com pb Feb 21 07
And to further show how SPAM terrorists use Kids and Children in their violent propaganda here is a further proof of young children dying everywhere. Future of Nepal is black under these terrorists:
Two Maoist cadres die in road mishap
Two Maoist cadres died and 30 others were injured in a road mishap at Triveni area in Udaypur district on Tuesday night.
The mishap occurred when a bus carrying Maoist cadres from a mass meeting in Janakpur met with an accident at Triveni village development committee VDC-4 of Udayapur district at around 8:30 pm on Tuesday.
The dead have been identified as 17-year-old Minasari Rai and 13-year-old Janaki Adhikari. Rai died on the spot while Adhikari died on the way to hospital.
Of the 30 injured, seven critically injured are undergoing treatment at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan and the remaining 25 are being treated at Lahan Nursing Home.
Maoist district in-charge Kamal Poudel informed that the two dead were their cadres. nepalnews.com pb Feb 21 07
Anon 1:29- try www.newsblaze.com. Good site
SPA trips over themselves constantly in the area of free speech. Good article. Speaking of speaking, the IFJ and the NFJ seem to be complaining much louder about suppressed speech now than they were under g's media crack-down.
The bus accident was still just an accident. Let's not go overboard and blame Maoists for every road mis-hap--and there are many in Nepal--unless we have more information. A bomb is always a good indication of a Maoist-caused road incident.
-=blogdai
"Just ask any one in Kathmandu after dark- you will know what I talking about."
Right. But what I am saying is that if there were free and fair elections and the Maoists did not use intimidation, I doubt people will go into the ballet and vote for them.
Bhudai Pundit
And how can we resist the SPAM?
I go into the "ballet" to see Swan Lake.
There is not going to be any CA elections. No one wants the elections even the SPAM do not want it. As a matter of fact, monarchy may be the only institution in Nepal now, which will benifit from the ca elections. Why would the SPAM need a ca election specially if the maoists can get a republic without it?
Okay B let's try to start a dialogue. Now please read my posts carefully. Don't put words into my mouth or infer things that doesn't exist okay?
Maoist still want a ca elections. They want legitimacy! Plus I think the Maoists are confident they will win a majority. And they cannot just get rid of the monarchy so easily. It's way too complicated and risky because you don't know how the army will react etc. These damn students group members should really be given a sound beating and a slap across their face.
Bhudai Pundit
To answer Bhudai- let get this straight- slap and beating would not work anymore. So the next logical step is more radical and only way out, from my view. Now, do not ask me to explain step by step what needs to be done. Its quite obvious.
Only thing that is stopping us from being what they are is our schooling, urban culture we have lived in, and belief in equal opportunity and equal rights. Once we are forced to break out from this set mould, no telling whats gonna happen. If need arises where we come down to their level then just imagine the ramification. There is history to all this- I have been voicing this for a long time hoping that rationality would prevail but in vain. Sticks and stones is the only way out.
I guess this is it and time is here. Sometimes time makes what you really don't want to be but be must.
SPAMmers do not talk. SPAMmers do not believe in elections. SPAMmers do not believe in peace.
You are giving logics to SPAM terrorists. We have been doing that for 2 years. It just doesn’t help! Even people like HM King couldn’t get these terrorists to the table to talk. These terrorists and hooligans just understand one language:
GUN LANGUAGE - barbarianism. How to suck out the Nepalis.
Their entire genealogy is made up of heinous crimes.
Mr. Pundit,
The world does not revolve around you and my last comment had nothing to do with you. I am not putting anything in your mouth, be it words or something else. It is just my view that the CA election is now turning out to be a burden on everyone. Maoists will not be allowed to legitimize their idiology by the international community. At what cost, is something we need to be serious about. Already all the maoist activists are deserting their camps and un has expressed concern. Whether king will remain or not is not the issue anymore but instead what is more important is who many more innocent Nepalis will need to die for India, US and Nepalis to get their act together.
Terrorist SPAM warlods never believe in elections. They are going to change the refine and redefine Democracy. I would need to ask why was the Hoopla created for 1 year if this was all that the Warlords wanted. They could have killed all legitimate the Nepalis and divided the booty among themselves.
Right at this point, it is imperative that someone just bombs the entire SPAM warlods when they are gathered together. But just don't bomb PUSHPA DAHAL and BABURAVAN. I have some personal scores to settle with them.
"Interim parliament will declare Nepal a republic: Prachanda"
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/feb/feb22/news15.php
What do you think now Mr. Pundit. Even prachanda has said that if a republic Nepal is announced thru the parliament then the CA elections can take the back seat for now. The fact is, this elections is turning into a big headache for everyone simply because a proper management for it can not be done and more violence is certain to engulf this country. May it is time to pull the plug now. This nation has failed. Not a single person in this country is content, satisfied or happy.
Alright Maoists with their guns got credibility, got seats in the Parliament, silenced king and SPA and scared the shit out of comman citizens. But will their guns stop Nepal from splitting??
Patriot
Hillarious exchange during an Army Day celebration as reported by the Nepali Times:
Rukmangat Katuwal also invited UNMIN head Ian Martin, Biswo Kanta Mainali of the Nepal Bar Association, and journalist Madhab Rimal. A heated discussion broke out between these three when Rimal said to Martin, “We are not satisfied with your work, because not all Maoist weapons have been locked down.” In response to this Martin reportedly said, “You are close to the prime minister, why don’t you go and tell him exactly that?” When it looked like the discussion was getting nasty, Katuwal tried to leave, but was pulled back in again by Rimal.
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